We’re getting married!

Geoff and I knew each other in high school, circa 2007. And by knew each other, that meant we were acquaintances with mutual friends that went to the same high school house parties. We did not attend the same high school, Geoff just knew people in every zip code. I always remembered him as the crazy kid with the fun last name. Fast forward 6 years and my friend Curt and I walk into a little cocktail bar called Mongoose vs. Cobra for Happy Hour. As I approach the bar top in my scrubs, this great big ginger bearded man says my name. I am completely taken aback because I cant wrack my brain of who this man is. But with a huge smile he says, “Hey! It’s Acuna!” and all the memories of that name start flooding in. “Acuna” then guided me through the various speciality cocktails at MvC and opened my eyes to the best Gin & Tonic I’ve ever had. As I left, I slyly asked for his number and said we should go out sometime. We started out as friends but I couldn’t deny the deep connection I felt with “Acuna” (I called him that the first 6 months we dated until he finally put his foot down and said I had to call him Geoff). He was my soulmate. As my graduate school classmate, Kayla Golliher, put it, “I’ve never seen two people speak to each other with just their eyes”. And that’s exactly how I felt inside. I felt like he could see through me- to the real me and I could be as myself. As I traveled back to Lubbock to finish up my 3rd year of my graduate work, I remember distinctly thinking, “I am going to end up marrying this man” as I drove through the hill country. And here we are. God works in mysterious ways.

So it’s a Wednesday summer evening and Corey and I are bartending together. In comes this beautiful blonde which I yet to see because I have my back to the door. Corey says something along the lines of, “There you go, Acuna!”. I turn around and see this blonde girl in scrubs. It takes me a second to register but I realize I know this girl..it’s Cali! Of course I go over to her and act like I’m a big shot “mixologist” which I clearly am not. I had just started working at Mongoose vs. Cobra a few months prior. I look at her and ask her if she is Cali and all I get is a puzzled look on her face. I can tell she has no idea who I am, so I say, “It’s Acuna!”. That rang a bell for her! We chatted for a few minutes, she fell in love with the gin & tonic and I made sure to buy a couple rounds for her. She was there meeting a friend for happy hour & I wasn’t sure if she was on a date or not. She came back to the bar to close her tab and we said her goodbyes. I didn’t think I would see her again once she left. Then, all of a sudden the door opens back up and it’s her. She came back in to ask for my number so we could hang out sometime. I wrote my number on a napkin, and she finally texted me around 9 that night (felt like days) thanking me for the drinks. I asked her if she wanted to go grab dinner and drinks one night. About a week later we were able to make the plans and I made sure to only take her where I knew the bartenders or owners of the establishments in order to make a strong impression. At this point I knew I had to marry this girl. It took a little more convincing on my end but after a family “Sunday Funday” at the Gunning’s, her Aunt Laura invited me to the beach house for the weekend. I KNEW I had to go if I wanted to seal the deal. She eventually went back up to school in Lubbock & after many Skype chats and hours on the phone I decided to fly up there. As soon as I got off the plane she there and gave me the biggest hug and kiss! That is how our story began!